Goosebumps Dead of Night Review

By Kevin Mitchell  |  Posted: June 17, 2020

The Goosebumps young adult horror novels were a staple for any kid growing up during the early nineties. Looking back to my youth, they represent some of my earliest memories. I can still recall nights spent lying on the floor next to my bedroom doorway with my blanket, reading tales about zombie-infested towns, cursed mummies, and one deranged ventriloquist dummy named Slappy. Sixty-two books were published under the main Goosebumps series; some have been reprinted with bonus materials, others turned into comic books or spin-offs, and the franchise even spawned two movies starring Jack Black. With the series selling over 400 million copies, nearly 70% of the books were adapted for the anthology television series (which I also enjoyed). Goosebumps Dead of Night reimagines the mobile game Night of Scares, adding additional content and features.

Goosebumps Dead of Night is a family-friendly interactive Goosebumps experience, but beware; you're in for a scare (I couldn't help myself). Slappy, the evil dummy from Night of the Living Dummy, has freed himself, trapping R. L. Stine in his typewriter in the process. Requiring your help, you begin your adventure in the study, guided by Stine's voice (Jack Black reprises his role), as he tasks you with finding the book and collecting all of the missing pages. Slappy's evil plan involves ripping out pages to keep himself from being locked up while freeing other monstrosities. You play as Twist, with full 3D movement capabilities to hide under beds, conceal yourself in closets, and even seek protection behind shower curtains. While the mobile game only had specific spots you could select and automatically move between, giving full motion to the player is refreshing. However, from the moment you take control, something feels off about the character handling. Acceleration is applied to all of your motions with the right stick controlling your viewpoint. It produces a noticeable judder whenever you release the stick, making things less responsive. There are also multiple options for vsync, which I highly recommend turning on (the "1" setting worked better for me), as the amount of screen tearing can become disorienting.

There are three main locales: R. L. Stine's house, full of paintings referencing books from the series; Dr. Brewer's Conservatory from Stay Out of the Basement; and Nikola Tesla's Wardenclyffe Tower, which also played a pivotal role in Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween. Your first task involves finding the stolen pages hidden throughout the house. Stepping out from Stine's study, I couldn't help but notice a precariously placed Egyptian sarcophagus next to the book's location. Curiosity got the better of me. As it creaked open, the grotesque appearance of a graveyard ghoul (Attack of the Graveyard Ghouls) reached out towards me (where's the mummy?), frightening me in the process. While the jump scare caught me off guard, the checkpoint system proved even more shocking. Getting caught by one of the horrors from the Goosebumps books results in a "game over" screen. If the game picked up right there, it wouldn't be an issue, but there are times where you'll have to replay sections, forcing you to recollect items and resolve puzzles again. At least you earn achievements/trophies for dying to almost all of the monsters.

Running around R. L. Stine's house feels like a toned-down survival horror game. A ghoul wanders the second floor, chasing you if seen or heard, so your best approach involves crouching and staying out of its line of sight. The lawn gnomes from Revenge of the Lawn Gnomes peer around corners and doorways, turning off lights across the house. While this may prevent you from locating some of the missing pages, it serves a much more devious plan. Stay shrouded in darkness too long, and the next thing you'll see when you turn around might be Murder the Clown (A Nightmare on Clown Street). Dr. Brewer's laboratory is overgrown and infested with deadly plants (Lost in Stinkeye Swamp) and killer bees (Why I'm Afraid of Bees). The gameplay shifts here, removing the previously necessary stealth-based tactics. Instead, you'll need to collect different-colored plants to open passages, use flowers to manipulate bees, and avoid falling prey to venus fly traps and sinking lily pads. Tesla's Wardenclyffe Tower feels entirely different, adding even more puzzle elements by realigning electricity flow while avoiding patrolling Annihilator 3000s (Toy Terror: Batteries Included). Though unexpected, seeing the killer gummy bears from the second movie (Haunted Halloween) return felt satisfying, especially watching them explode into chunks using Tesla's secret weapon.

Simply Put

As an interactive Goosebumps experience, Cosmic Forces has successfully recreated the beloved children's series with Goosebumps Dead of Night. However, the game only lasts a handful of hours, and a significant portion of my time was spent replaying sections to collect achievements for dying to each monster. Murder the Clown's character model is downright scary, and seeing Slappy scurry across a room is terrifying even for me, but the game loses its appeal as you progress. The entirety of the third chapter is disappointingly bland. I don't think anyone, especially the target audience, will enjoy it, despite its inclusion of puzzle-solving and first-person shooting against giant gummy bears and witches.